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Outdoor gym is a winner

Details

29 February 2012

People flocked to be the first to try out the outdoor gym in a Soweto park, where anyone can keep fit for free. First on the cross trainer was the mayor.

Executive mayor Parks Tau tries out a cross trainerWEARING track suits, takkies and muscle tops, people from Dhlamini in Soweto pitched up at Petrus Molefe Eco Park to try out equipment at the outdoor gym – the first to be built by Johannesburg City Parks.

The gym, set up in the heart of the park, is not just a recreational facility, but it is also something of beauty. Its equipment, painted dark blue and bright white, surrounded by emerald green lawn, catches the eye.

The reception from the community told a story: at the opening, a crowd made up of schoolchildren, young adults, grannies and grandpas arrived earlier. They eagerly waited for the moment, despite the hot sun on the afternoon of Tuesday, 28 February.

An unusual feature of the gym – and possibly unique in Joburg – is that it is a no-fee-paying facility.

Executive Mayor Parks Tau was there to do the honours, accompanied by the member of the mayoral committee for community development, Chris Vondo; the managing director of Green Outdoor Gym, Tim Hogans; and other partners. Green Out Door Gym supplied the equipment.

Tau said the project was integral to discussions the City had had with its residents and other stakeholders when drawing up Joburg 2040, its long-term Growth and Development Strategy (GDS). "Through the GDS, we engaged in consultations with our people across the city on number of topics; health was one of them," he said. "By opening this gym we want to encourage our people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and become better and better and healthy citizens."

Lifestyle diseases

He warned that a report produced during the GDS outreach indicated that a substantial number of people suffered from non-communicable diseases that were often the result of lifestyle and unhealthy diet. Non-communicable diseases includes heart diseases, asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Celimpilo Mbona couldn't afford to join a gym"Some of these diseases are manageable. Let us use this gym to our advantage to ensure that we live healthy lives."

There are eight double-sided pieces of equipment in the gym, allowing 16 people to train at the same time. Equipment includes treadmills, rowing machines, exercise bikes, weights and cross trainers, all permanently mounted on the ground. There is also a minisoccer field and a rectangular concrete aerobics court.

The equipment is made out of robust, weatherproof material, and it can withstand rain, sun and cold. People of all ages and fitness levels can use it. Tau used the rowing machine to demonstrate how it worked before residents were invited to try it out.

Vondo further stressed the importance of maintaining healthy lifestyles. "A healthy body is equal to a healthy mind," he said, encouraging young people to be the first to use the gym. "We want to turn Johannesburg into a liveable city and a place that offers a quality of life."

Vandals

Another aim was to build social cohesion. Vondo urged residents to protect the equipment from vandals and from being stolen. "We want you to take ownership of this place, it is yours – protect and love it."

The message of ownership seemed to be well received across the board. The local councillor, Lulalama Sibanyoni, said: "This facility will be vigilantly protected. We will do everything in our power to ensure that it remains for a long time for us, our children and grandchildren.

Executive mayor Parks Tau unveils a plaque to mark the opening of the outdoor gym"We extremely excited that the needs of our community are being prioritised. It is a sign that there is a high level of commitment from City Parks in providing world-class services to the people."

Members of the community were happy to talk and were delighted to work off a few kilos. Among them was Zanele Sonto, a regular at the park. She tried out a couple of machines before joining the City Parks aerobics class. "We love this park; we will come here every afternoon to train. A lot of us, especially women, are obese, so this is a great opportunity to get ourselves back into shape."

Another resident, Celimpilo Mbona, a soccer player, has long wanted to join a gym but could not afford to do so. " I will train at least two times a day in the morning and in the evening because I live close to the park. It will help me to stay fit as a soccer player."

The Biokinetics Association of South Africa has offered to allocate biokineticisits to visit the outdoor gym once a month at no cost to the community or City Parks.

Biokinetics is the science of movement and the application of exercise in rehabilitative treatment or performance. The profession is concerned with health promotion, the maintenance of physical abilities and final phase rehabilitation by means of scientifically based physical activity programme prescription.

On the day, a tree was planted and a ribbon cut to declare the gym open for community use.

Source: Joburg.org.za

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Latest news

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo will yet again host the much anticipated Joburg premier Mother’s day concert on the 13 May 2018. The Concert – which has been a highlight on Joburg residents’ calendar for many years aims to honour, embrace and appreciate the role played by mothers. The event will see families paying tribute and celebrating their mothers in the safe and tranquil environment of the zoo.

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Kids will take delight in the designated kiddies’ zone which will have mega jumping castles, face painting, photo opportunities with mom and animal demonstrations.

Concert tickets will be available at Web tickets (www.webtickets.co.za/event) for R100 per adult and R70 for kids and pensioners. Gates open at 8:00 and the concert starts at 11:00. Parking will be available at the Zoo’s main parking at Upper Park Drive with additional parking at Military Museum, Zoo Lake, Zoo CID and Saxonwold Primary School.

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, together with the risk assessment team are at Olifantsvlei Cemetery to identify the extent of the damages caused by the persistent, high rains in the last 48 hours in the City of Joburg.

Initial reports indicate that burials in the new section that took place in the past three weeks have been seriously impacted.

The rains have caused graves and headstones to collapse, and has washed away memorials placed on the graves.

Affected families are urged to make contact with cemetery personnel including the Manager of Cemeteries, Mr Reggie Moloi on 011 028 0092, after hours on 082 803 0655 or on email at rmoloi@jhbcityparks.com. Families are also welcome to come to the Cemetery personally.

The recently opened Olifantsvlei Cemetery that extends over 400 hectares and will accommodate for 800 000 burials has conducted just under 9000 burials to date, with an average of 120 burials per week.

MMC for Community Development in the City of Joburg, Councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba, appealed to families to contact the cemetery and to assist where possible in reinstating graves.

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, will make available sand and will refill graves once the rains subside.

Notice is hereby given that the 17th Annual General Meeting of the Shareholder of the Company will be held at The Joburg Theatres, 163 Civic Boulevard(Previously Loveday Street), Braamfontein at 08:00 on Friday, 18th April 2018.

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) the custodians of nature conservation and greening in the City of Joburg, has cracked the code for captive breeding of the endangered Wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) which is the continent’s rarest of crane species.

On the eve of the Joburg Zoo commemorating 114 years of conservation, a second surviving fledgling has hatched on 9 February 2018 as part of a surrogate-reared, Wattled crane breeding programme in partnership with Ezemvelo Wildlife and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). The partnership was established at the Joburg Zoo’s conservatory in Parys, South Africa in 2010

The surviving chick that hatched on 19 July 2017, remains healthy and active and is oblivious to the watchful eyes of its costume dressed surrogate parents. The fledgling will remain in captivity and will be reared together with the recently hatched chick. Once fully socialized, the fledglings will be released into the wild as part of a pairing and mating programme, to boost diminishing numbers of tWattled crane. .

Three (3) births were recorded in captivity by the Joburg Zoo, with the first chick succumbing due to its inability to be acclimatized. This was followed by the ground breaking, second birth in 2017 and a subsequent birth this year, indicating that the programme is a masterstrokefor the advancement of conservation of the critically endangered Wattle crane.

Dwindling numbers of the species remain threatened by the destruction of wetlands; rapid urbanisation and the illegal collection of their eggs. Typically the close-knit breeding pair of Wattled cranes produce one egg, and on the off chance that a second egg is produced, the breeding pair will generally abandon the second egg once the first egg hatches.

The breeding programme is then designed to collect the abandoned egg from the wild and puppet-rear the chick after incubation, to prevent human imprinting. Costumed caretakers introduce the young cranes to life in the wild and teach them to forage and to avoid threats from predators such as Jackals. Once the breeding flock produces a significant number of chicks, their offspring, along with any additional chicks produced from abandoned wild eggs, will be reared and released into existing Wattled Crane flocks in an effort to bolster the population in the wild.

The Wattled crane is the largest of the cranes species, is predominantly white including its wattles with ash-grey wings, striking black under carriage and tail, and is remarkably distinguishable by its famed red beak covered by bumps. It forages in mostly marshy areas, dining on aquatic insects or snails, tubers or on reeds – that is if you are fortunate enough to encounter a rare sighting of this magnificent bird that is estimated to have a life expectancy of between 20 and 30 years in the wild.

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development, Councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba commended the Conservation team at Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo for championing the Wattled Crane conservation programme and was hopeful that these first steps in breeding the species in captivity, signals that we can reverse the decline in the number of Wattled cranes found along marshy areas.

Historically, Wattled cranes were far more abundant and widely distributed throughout South Africa. Sadly, a 38% decline over the last two decades has left the critically endangered population at a high risk of extinction in the wild.

A scarce 310 specimens remain in South Africa with the most significant population residing in isolated pockets in KwaZulu Natal. Wattled Cranes are already locally extinct in neighbouring countries such as Lesotho and Swaziland.

Issued by MMC Nonhlanhla SifumbaMember of the Mayoral Committee for Community DevelopmentCity of Johannesburg

Johannesburg City Park and Zoo (JCPZ) the greening entity that oversees the management of parks, street trees, conservation, cemeteries and the Zoo obtained its first clean audit since it was established in 2001, for the 2016/17 financial year.

This is a massive feat for the greening entity that has seen its portfolio increasing in line with rapid urbanization; employee numbers dwindling due to natural attrition and an ever-increasing demand for developed, safe, clean and well managed spaces including burial sites.

For the period, under review, the entity had to also deliver sans the support of a Chief Finance Officer compounded by budgetary constraints stemming from more pressing and competing needs within the City of Joburg.

The entity further increased its satisfaction levels across key performance areas by 5%, to 80% thereby reinforcing its commitment to service delivery with pride. “Lessons have been learnt from the past,” stated the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development in the City of Joburg, Councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba who commended all departments within Johannesburg City Parks and the Zoo.

“Securing a clean audit in a fast paced metropolis like Joburg, on the backdrop of managing inclement weather-related challenges; safety and security demands; unemployment, a compelling need for community-based jobs and ad hoc requirements for veterinary medical services at the Joburg Zoo – is testimony to an entity that is highly committed to accountability and good governance,” added Sifumba.

Highlights assessed in report to the Auditor General included, the:

Reinstatement of the Joburg Zoo’s accreditation to the Pan-African Association of Zoos and Aquaria (PAAZAB);

Completion of Phase 6 of the Olifantsvlei Cemetery to provide 800 000 new burial sites in the City;

Concluded the construction of a multi-level parkade at the Joburg Zoo to bolster Zoo visitor numbers and to address illegal parking around the Zoo;

Completed the new wing at the Zoo’s Veterinarian Hospital to strengthen animal welfare;

Developed 6 new multi-functional parks to nurture healthy minds and bodies;

Created 2 265 community-based jobs to address poverty and unemployment;

Generation of R93.5m in revenue to augment the subsidy provided by the City;

The entity would like to recognize its many supporters such as the media, residential associations, security companies, corporates, trusts funds and the many individuals who generously donate their time, services and goods to our animals and parks. This achievement is also in part due to the many service providers to JCPZ that provide quality services to enable the entity to fulfill its horticulture and conservation mandates.

“Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo is on track to securing a clean audit for the current financial year and put in place all monitoring mechanisms to ensure that employees comply with stringent procurement processes,” stated Sifumba.

Issued by Councillor Nonhlanhla SifumbaThe Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community DevelopmentCity of Johannesburg

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